How Do These People Get Elected to Congress?

Baptist News Global: Why are "Unhinged" People Elected to Congress

There was a time when I would read or hear about some conspiracy theory circulating around and think, "How ridiculous is that and who would believe something like that?"  History is full of movements founded on the most outrageous lies, fabrications and fears.  But I have always tended to relegate these kinds of things, and the people who push them, to the far fringes of society.  This is, after all, the United States of America, a successful constitutional democracy with a well-informed, educated electorate and because of our past history, safeguarded against the kind of political upheaval that kept Europe in a state of continuous warfare for centuries.  

I'm still capable of recognizing ridiculous fabricatious, outrageous lies and conspiracy theories that motivate people by fear.  But I now see them as a genuine threat to all that we are and all that we have, because I no longer put trust in an educated electorate that relegates the ridiculous to the far fringes of society.  What happens now, to some of the most oulandish and ridiculous fear mongers is that they get elected to Congress.  

The author of the article in Baptist News Global, linked above, is Rodney Kennedy, a pastor in New York and author of the book Good and Evil in the Garden of Democracy, which is on my summer reading list.  Kennedy points to Lousiana Congressman Clay Higgins as an example of the kind of unhinged person now serving in the United States Congress.  Higgins, along with Kari Lake, the losing Republican candidate in the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election, and other politicians, including two other Arizona congressmen, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, started the war rhetoric when it was announced that the failed former President 45 would be indicted for crimes surrounding his stealing of classified documents that belonged to the National Archives.  

That these people have put significant thought into using violence and force to attempt to overturn the results of elections, and to protect the renegade, rebellious politician who demonstrates his contempt for the Constitution, American values and the democracy that protects our individual freedoms is evident in the code language that they use, and in the open threats that they make.  They are testing the limits of constitutionally-guaranteed free speech in the threats against the government.  Personally, I believe they've crossed into sedition and have made themselves enemies of the people, and the limits need to be consistently enforced.  Unfortunately, it does not seem that there is a mechanism in place to protect our freedoms from these threats, at least, not one that current politicians are willing to use. 

I'm in favor of testing out whatever mechanisms we have, and arresting people when they are clearly inciting violence, using war rhetoric and code language to prompt people to arm themselves and use violence to fight agaist the Constitution and try and prevent justice from taking its course by protecting the criminal who broke the law.  Arrest these people, indict them and set a trial date to let the people decide where the boundary is in breaking the law by inciting insurrection and rebellion against a government empowered by the people.  That will answer the question of whether any of these individuals are qualified to serve in public office, and I'd bet the answer would be a resounding NO!

Higgins has a history of making violent threats, using excessive force and making false statements as a police officer in three different Louisiana jurisdictions and resigned from each police department prior to receiving disciplinary action.  In normal times, normal places, under normal circumstances, a police officer with three resignations for abuse of power wouldn't be a viable candidate for any public office.  But the voters in South Lourisana elected him to Congress.  The use of the violent rhetoric and threats that he posted on social media, which can be interpreted as a call for violence to prevent Trump from facing justice, is, according to Pastor Kennedy, a lifelong pattern for this Congressman.  And it didn't prevent him from being elected, on the contrary, in his district, his behavior appears to be an asset.  

Citing Higgins as one example, Kennedy also references rhetoric from Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, Kari Lake, who was the defeated gubernatorial candidate in Arizona in 2022 who has repeatedly made false claims about voter fraud, and Marjorie Taylor Greene's reference to a "national divorce."  

I can't say it any better than Kennedy says it: 

"We are dealing with people who will insist that even Jesus said he didn't come to bring peace, but a sword.  The people using this rhetoric are losing all restraint.  They have decided they are so righteous they do not have to tolerate this age.  They believe they have the freedom and the conviction to act on the threat of a civil war.  In their eyes, they are reasonable, sober, honorable people acting on behalf of the good of the nation.  They believe a civil war would usher in a new age. "  

"There's plenty of room for for conservative and liberal points of view," says Kennedy, "But surreptitious calls for civil war go beyond the pale."  

We can no longer relegate these people to the fringes.  They are convincing enough people to believe their lies that they are getting elected to public office with the goal of undermining democracy from within, and using the structure to impose their own rule.  And the danger they pose is significant, since we no longer have an educated electorate capable of keeping the "unhinged" liars from getting into office.  The ideology is using whatever tools it has at its disposal, whether it's Trump's Maga movement or infliltrating fundamentalist churches and using their pulpits.  

They need to be held accountable.  Sedition is sedition, conspiracy is conspiracy.  If one or two of these loudmouths, like Higgins or Lake, or Taylor-Greene, would be arrested for making these remarks, it would stop.

"Higgins may be the tip of the iceberg, and we may be the Titanic," said Kennedy.  "America doesn't need a civil war; we need civil servants who understand civility is still a virtue in working out our disagreements.  We need elected officials with high moral character and credibility who are reliable narrators of democracy."